One child dies
every five minutes as a result of violence, and three quarters of the deaths happen in countries that are at peace, a UNICEF report has revealed.

An estimated 345 children die violent deaths around the world every day, and 75 per cent - or 258 - of those incidents happened in countries that are not at war.

Children 'experience extreme violence in everyday life, everywhere', said Susan Bissell, global
head of child protection for UNICEF.

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One child dies every five minutes as a result of violence, but only a minority die in war zones, according to a report by the U.N. children's agency UNICEF

Millions of children are vulnerable to physical, sexual andemotional abuse in their homes, schools and communities, said Leah Kreitzman, head of campaigns and advocacy for UNICEFUK

In some countries, deaths from violence are diminishing gains made in preventing childhood deaths from disease or
hunger.

Ms Bissell said: 'What is shocking is that we have for two or three decades
focused a lot, and importantly, on child mortality from
preventable diseases, and what this report says is that we need
to be thinking about child mortality from all causes.

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'And it's shocking to imagine that we might not achieve our
goals in terms of child survival if we don't address the
protection of children. These go hand in hand.'

In Brazil, the number of children dying from preventable
disease before the age of five has dropped since 2000, but
almost 15,000 lives have been lost to violence in adolescence.

Millions of children are vulnerable to physical, sexual and
emotional abuse in their homes, schools and communities, said Leah Kreitzman, head of campaigns and advocacy for UNICEFUK.

In Brazil, the number of children dying from preventable disease before the age of five has dropped since 2000, but almost 15,000 lives have been lost to violence in adolescence

She said: 'If you scratch beneath the surface, the statistics around
things like sexual violence, violent discipline in the home and
the school, all of these things make it very difficult for
children to develop.

'Children are getting their mental and physical health
permanently damaged by violence every day.'

Ms Kreitzman said many families do not bother going to the authorities
because they know they will not get help.

In Kenya, one in three girls and one in six boys experience
sexual violence, yet only one per cent of cases are recorded by the police.

Ms Kreitzman said: 'If people know that they can act with impunity then they
can continue being violent to children.'

UNICEF said the education system was under attack in many countries, like in Nigeria where 276 girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants; schools help protect children, the agency said

War amplifies and magnifies the violence that children
normally experience every day, Ms Bissell said.

Education can help protect children in many conflicts, she said, as it
gives them a sense of normality, and can also protect them
from being recruited by armed groups.

Thomas Lubanga, who has been imprisoned by the International
Criminal Court for using children to fight in his rebel group in
Congo, recruited many of them in communities without a
functioning school or health service, Ms Bissell said.

The education system itself is under attack in many
countries. Schools and universities have been attacked by armed
groups in at least 70 countries over the past five years, including the kidnapping of 276 Nigerian girls by Boko Haram militants.

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A child dies from violence every FIVE MINUTES with most outside war-zones, says Unicef report